A look back: Chivas – Crew, 2008

With less than two months from Chivas USA facing Columbus Crew in the first match of 2013, we look back at one of the top games against the Eastern Conference team:

Considered one of the wildest games between Chivas USA and Columbus Crew, the Goats took their first loss at Columbus Crew Stadium on April 12, 2008 in the third match of the season.

The Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto opened the scoreboard in the 26th minute of the match via penalty kick after Jim Curtin collided with then-Crew forward Alejandro Moreno. A few minutes after the first goal, Sacha Kljestan brought the Goats back into game after taking a long distance shot past Crew ‘keeper in the 33rd minute. Shortly after Kljestan’s goal, the Red-and-White went down 2-1 before halftime after Moreno notched the second for the Crew off a pass from Schelotto.

Robbie Rogers kept the Crew on top, scoring the third goal for the Black and Gold in the 71st minute. Midfielder Jesse Marsch reacted to the Crew’s goal, as he passed through the Crew’s backline, putting a low-shot past the Columbus ‘keeper. Paulo Nagamura equalized the match for the Goats in the 78th minute, putting the Red-and-White back in the game in a six-minute turnaround. Unfortunately for Chivas, Rogers scored his second of the match in the 82nd minute, giving the Crew the final 4-3 victory. Aside from the goals, the match was hard-fought until the dying minutes; the game finished with nine Chivas USA players on the pitch after Francisco ‘Panchito’ Mendoza received his second yellow card in the match and Kljestan received a red card, earning his first, and only, ejection in MLS.